Improvement in wrenches



IJNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM MOREHOUSE, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR IO HIMSELF AND J. FRASER, OF SAME PLAGE.

IMPROVEMENT IN WRENCHES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 52,930, dated February 27, 1866.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM MoREI-IoUsE, ot' Buftalo, in the county ot' Erie and State ot' New York, have invented a new and Improved Wrench; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof', reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure I is an edge view of the wrench with a portion of its handle broken oft. Fig.

2 is a view of one side of the wrench complete. Figs. 3 and 4 are sectional views, showing lthe jaws in their two eXtreme positions.

Similar letters ot' reference indicate corresponding parts in the several tigures.

The nature ot' my invention consists in pivoting one ot' the jaws of a wrench to the handle thereof and connectingthe other jaw to the handle by means of a rack and segment, in such manner that when one of said jaws is fixed upon an object and the handle moved as in the act ot' unscrewing a nut the other jaw will be moved up to and caused to gripe the object with a force proportionate to that exerted to move it, as will be hereinafter described.

To enable others skilled in the artto understand my invention, I will describe its construction and operation.

In the accompanying drawings, A represents the handle of the wrench, which is tlatened at one end and rounded in the form of a segment, with teeth a a, which latter are made large and strong,

B represents one of the jaws ot the wrench, which has two side plates, b I), formed on it, between which latter the segment a a of the handle A is itted to move freely about a strong pivot, c, which passes transversely through said plates and segment. On the inside face of each plate b I), and directly opposite each other, I form slots e e, which are parallel to the `upper edges, g g, of the jawplates, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. Into the slots c e tenons ff, which are formed on a sliding block, E, are fitted, for the purpose of guiding and keeping this block in its proper place. On one end of the block E ajaw, B', is formed, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the sides ot' which project from the block so as to form shoulders, which rest upon and are guided by the straight edges g g of thejaw-plates b b. The lower edge of the sliding block E has la number ot' teeth, a a, formed on it, corresponding in size and strength with those of the segment on the handle A, and when this handle is pivoted to the plates b b, the sliding jaw B' having previously been inserted into its place, the teeth on the segment and slide will connect these parts together in such manner that when the handle Ais moved the jaw B' will be caused .to approach or recede from the jaw B.

By this arrangement and construction of wrench the jaws are self-adjustable and adapt themselves to a nut or other object by a movement ot' the handle ot' the wrench in the direction which itis desired to turn such object. Then by reversing the movement of the handle the jaws will be separated.

By my invention I connect the handle ot the wrench directly to the sliding jaw at a point which is directly in a line with the pivot, extending to the point y. (Indicated in red lines, Figs. 2 and 4.) Hence I dispense with i link-connections, eccentrics, and otherI cont-rivances, which would Aform intermediate connections, and increase the number ot' parts lof the wrench, besides diminishiiig the strength of the wrench.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. Operating the movable jaw ot' a'wrench directly by the handle, substantially as described.

2. The combination of the handle A with a segment formed onit, pivoted jaw B, and sliding jaw B', having teeth formed on it, which engage with the pivoted end oi' the handle, substantially as described.

WM. MOREHOUSE.

kWitnesses:

W. H. SHERMAN, R. H. DANFORTH. 

